To decide which crossbow scope was ideal for each case, our team of experts spent many hours testing some of the best crossbows now on the market with various crossbow scopes.
They put these scopes through their paces in actual hunting circumstances by shooting at targets and sighting them before using them in their ground blinds and tree stands. Here are what we discovered.
1. Best Overall: Vortex Crossfire II
One scope consistently ranked at the top of every hunter’s list after all of our staff members had tested each of the scopes on our list: the Vortex Crossfire II. The lighting function of this scope, which illuminates the XBR-2 reticles in either red or blue to provide exceptional clarity in low-light situations, was the first thing we enjoyed about it.
2. Best Crossbow Scope For The Money: Hawke Sport Optics 12221 XB1
Our team gave the Hawke XBI crossbow scope very good marks as well, but not quite as much as the Vortex Crossfire II. Shooting as soon as dusk fell seems to make the largest effect. Compared to the Vortex, the Hawke XBI appeared to lose some clarity. Just as the sun was setting, a few staff members took the two of them to a ground blind so they could be directly compared.
3. Best Crossbow Scope With Rangefinder: Garmin Xero X1i
When I first started bowhunting 40 years ago, I can still recall thinking that there has to be a better way to determine yardage. We didn’t have any form of rangefinders back then. We would constantly practice calculating yardage so that we could determine the distance to a deer when it appeared.
What progress has been made since then? The perfect crossbow scope is the Garmin Xero X1i. If we could all afford it, this is the range we would all have. We were all eager to give it a try because one of our employees has one and uses it religiously. We were impressed.
